Ruth Jarman seems to have endless stores of energy and positive initiative. She’s a bona fide Hamakko (Yokohama-ite), having lived 18 years in the Hodogaya area before relocating to a quieter part of Kanagawa in recent years–her children graduating from Saint Maur and going overseas for school prompted the move. As the CEO of her eponymously named company, Jarman International KK, she stays busy helping Japanese companies and local governments reach targeted audiences–another way of saying “likely customers.” The customers Jarman helps with are primarily from the international community.
Explaining her company, Jarman says, “We’re connectors. There’s this gap between Japanese companies and those that might benefit from their services. It’s only been a few years that most Japanese companies have had to target international audiences. They never had to think about it. But now, with more residents and inbound travelers, they do. Every Japanese company needs to figure out how to connect to a new audience. Well, I learned how to connect people.”
Jarman began developing this skill shortly after arriving in Japan in 1988, a recent graduate of Tufts University in Boston (Jarman is originally from Hawaii). She landed a job with Recruit, a human resources company whose role it was to ‘connect’ employers with talent. She recalls, “The founder, Mr. Hiromasa Ezoe, was very forward thinking. He knew Japan was internationalizing so they started hiring new graduates from overseas. I stayed with the company for four years before going out on my own to do freelance translating and interpreting. I did interpreting for tennis star Monica Seles and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson. You get these connections through Recruit.”
She continued her freelancing for eight years, while also raising small children at home. But then in 2000, Ezoe reached out to her. Ezoe had long since left Recruit following a sensational court case that lasted 13 years and rocked national politics in the 1990s. Toward the end of the trial, Ezoe’s defense team even called on Jarman as a character witness. She testified that he reformed Japan’s hiring practices and made Recruit an inclusive place, and some speculate that it may have contributed to his having received a suspended sentence after such a long, grueling case (he also later claimed in a book that he signed confession papers under duress). It was the political trial of the decade, and paved the way for a renewed focus on corporate governance for Japanese firms.
When Ezoe called, he was trying to put that past behind him and focus on a new endeavor: serviced apartments. The company was called Space Design. Until that time, it had sold townhouses (“mansions”) to Japanese, but it pivoted to renting fully furnished apartments to short-term visitors. It would be Jarman’s job to figure out how to connect with that target audience.
Jarman recalls, “I went on a trip to New York because the staff wanted to see serviced apartments there. But every time I gave them any kind of idea, they’d say, ‘Yeah, but in Japan…’ When I got back, I told Ezoe that I didn’t think they were ready for me because everybody was saying no. He replied, ‘Don’t you understand that Japan is a NO society? All you get is NO. You have to learn to break through.’ It was nice to hear from a Japanese man who’s supposed to have all the advantages that he gets NO all the time, too. I decided to stick with him and learn from him. That was the best 12 years of learning how to connect with people. I started as an independent contractor and worked up to sitting on the board and being in charge of sales. I must have interacted with thousands of foreigners new to Japan during that time.”
Eventually, Jarman decided to strike out on her own again. It seems Ezoe knew that was always in her spirit and he supported her move. Jarman International KK (hereafter, JI) became official in 2012.
Jarman says that her company motto is “Bridging Japanese Content and International Curiosity”. Jarman points out that for a while, companies relied on influencers and travelers from overseas to take selfies and pictures of themselves in popular parts of Japan. But these people aren’t long-timers in Japan, of course; they’re not authorities on the area or some facet of Japanese culture. They can’t really convey much depth of information or charm.
“We’re the interpreters,” says Jarman of Japan’s long-time residents. “Too many companies hadn’t thought about using people like us, and there are so many of us in Japan. We have so much fantastic content to share. And everything in Japan makes for amazing content!”
To produce convincing content and authoritative voices on Japan, Ruth has assembled a stable of talent and knowledge. She calls it her JI Core 50–basically, fifty international residents who are specialists on a given topic. One of these individuals may attend a speaking event for one of JI’s clients. Or, they might travel to a prefectural town to experience or speak about some aspect of local culture or history for a video shoot. Jarman ads, “My website lists all these individuals. When we have consulting requests, we can accommodate. One of the biggest strengths of my company is that I’ve brought together some really interesting minds.”
Some of the content JI produces is more practical and geared toward international residents already living in Japan, rather than inbound travelers. As an example, see the essay that follows this article, penned by Jarman, about a new banking service. This kind of content combines the personal experience of a Japan veteran with marketing. It’s effective in Japan where there’s often a lack of information about mundane aspects of daily life (and we can affirm that banking is usually a major hassle in Japan).
While Jarman’s life seems nonstop, she does find time to enjoy some hours to herself.
“I love to read,” she notes. “And I’m very much into golf now–I go once a month. I also love to exercise so I do yoga in the morning and a lot of walking. But I love to study and get certified most of all. I’m probably the first Western female to get the real estate license in Japan, which is even hard for Japanese to get. Now I’m looking for my new thing. I’m thinking of signing up for the chûshô kigyô shindanshi (small and medium-sized enterprise management consultant) exam, which will take me about five years to pass. The process of studying for something like that is a great way to learn more Japanese as well.”
When asked where her favorite spots are in Yokohama, she answers in the context of what she would do if taking visiting friends to visit.
“Evening would definitely be the cafe Sub Zero, which is in Osanbashi. It has an amazing view of all the neon in Minatomirai. I would definitely not miss the Ramen Museum, either. It would be a day of eating in Yokohama! To get exercise and walk around, I’d take them to Sankei-en, one of my favorite gardens.”
As for what makes Yokohama great in her mind, she answers quickly.
“There are districts that are amazingly developed and beautiful. Everything is connected. For example, you can walk almost all the way from Yokohama Station to Motomachi now via walkways that utilize the waterfront. The city is an example of how all cities need to be in ten years. The priorities of city planners are correct.”
Thank you Ruth!
For more information about JI: www.jarman-international.com